


Skinny Love

by ZeroGravityInq



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Confused AF Order of the Phoenix, Do-Over, Harry is not having your shit Voldemort, Harry raises himself, Kid Fic, M/M, Manipulative but Well Meaning Dumbledore, Time Travel Fix-It, Voldemort Raises Himself, adoption fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2018-09-14 09:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9172570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroGravityInq/pseuds/ZeroGravityInq
Summary: In which Tom and Harry raise themselves and cause a lot of chaos in the process.





	1. Prologue 1

**Author's Note:**

> Read the Trailer here: [Skinny Love Trailer](https://starrfiction.wordpress.com/2016/02/25/skinny-love-trailer/)

It was so simple. Lord Voldemort didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. Granted, the technology wasn't ready, but as he always believed, magic can do anything.

So here he was, on the night of his birth, clothes already tranfigured into that of a well-to-do muggle of this time. He could have apparated but bittersweet nostalgia lead to him walking in the surprisingly deep snow, his footsteps muffled.

He was less wondering how his mother had succumbed to the cold, despite being a pureblood witch and more in awe as to how she managed to get so far in this horrible blizzard, bad even by London's standards.

Finally he came to Wool's Orphanage. The last he had seen of it, it was up in flames by his wand. Still as pathetic as he recalled.

He was glad he had not bothered with a warming charm. It helped his act. Roughly mussing his hair, slipping on a gold wedding band and taking a sip of modified pepperup to make his face flushed and his blue glamoured eyes feverish, Voldemort frantically pounded on the door.

A harassed looking woman opened the door. Before she could reprimand him, Voldemort spilled his story in a nerves-induced rapid pace.

"My pregnant wife is missing! We had a fight - God, such a stupid fight- and she ran off. She's due sometimes this week and Gods above, I don't know what I would do if something happened to her or to the baby. Have you seen her, Miss?"

The maid's irritated then startled then finally softened face amused him but he didn't break his mask, certainly not for a muggle. He let his eyes dart around behind her as though hunting for Merope while his body shivered, not at all faking it's reaction to the cold of the night.

"You wouldn't happen to have a picture or can tell me what she looks like?" The maid asked but before he could produce his excuses, a cry from the inside and a,

"MARION!!! Get in here!"

sent the girl off with a gasp from her lips, Voldemort already forgotten. Since she left the door open, like any dark lord worth his salt, Voldemort took advanatage by slipping inside.

Brushing a bit of snow off, Voldemort strolled the halls of his old home. He didn't wish to see his mother actually give birth to him - killer of hundreds though he was, there are just some things a man didn't wish to see - but as always things are in life, timing is everything. The cacophany quieted as he drew near though it had a new note of a baby crying. That noise soon silenced as he stepped into the makeshift birthing room.

Merope, exhausted and slowly falling into the crips of death, held her son close, stroking his cheek as he suckled from a bottle. "Tom, after his father and Marvolo after mine." She was saying, her eyes going half lidded in a prelude to closing.

"Thank you."

The women startled at his quiet words, finally seeing him at the door. Merope's muddy blue eyes went wide even as they started to glaze over in death.

"T-tom..."

She reached out a hand, trembling before it fell. She was gone.

There was a moment of silence until Tom's soft whimper pulled them out of the moment. While the other maids rushed over to take care of the new orphan, Ms. Cole, unafraid and stupider than Voldemort remembered her, planted herself in front of him with a suspicious yet unwary look in her eye.

"Who are you?" She demended, ignoring the maid who was trying, quite unsuccessfully to feed the now squalling infant.

"I am Tom's father, Tom Riddle...well Senior now. I came here to find my wife but it looks like I have only my son," Voldemort sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "It was such a stupid fight." he muttered loud enough that Ms Cold could hear but soft enough that she would think he meant to keep it to himself.

A decade with Tom would have kept Ms. Cole suspicious and bitter but this younger version softened and nodded, calling the matron who held Tom over and transferring the baby over to him. He didn't think he was ever this fragile or treated with such care but then, ones memories of such times fade as they grow older.

A bit of paperwork, some condolences and reassurance that he could handle a newborn, they were off into the night.

Once they were far enough away, Voldemort cast a warming charm on them both, removing the ratty blankets they had given him for Tom. The newborn looked at him with far more focus than a child only a few hours old should have. Voldemort chuckled.

"Well Tom, why don't we get out of this wretched place and cause havoc elsewhere?"

He withdrew the modified Time Turner, silver instead of the usual gold and with a few twists in time, they were gone.


	2. Prologue 2

Harry couldn't help but be annoyed by all the foot traffic. Why did so many people have to make an appearance after the death of his parents?

First Snape comes in, sobs over his dead mother's body and leaves his baby self crying in the crib, still bleeding.

'Why they thought this man would work well with children is bloody beyond me...'

He doesn't have too much vitriol for the potions master but really, there was very little stopping him from hexing him at the next given opportunity. Harry made side note to do that when he had the chance. 

Then Sirius comes in. At least he comforts the baby and stops the bleeding, though he is sobbing a bit himself. Harry watches with a bit of a heavy heart as Sirius whispers to baby Harry promises to protect as he carefully presses the infant's face to his shoulder so he won't see the corpse of his parents as he heads downstairs. A bit of a late gesture shine Harry already saw his mum but appreciated nonetheless. Sadness turns to rage and he hands Harry off to Hagrid to go chase down Peter.

'Oh for fucks sake.'

Promises mean nothing in the face of revenge apparently. 

But this was the easy part. Hagrid takes a remarkable amount of care to strap Baby Harry into the sidecar of the motorcycle but he didn't quite plan on someone riding alongside on a broom, invisible and snatching the infant away.

'Like taking candy from a baby...literally.'

Harry looks down at his still peacefully sleeping baby self, knowing that in a bit, Hagrid will be bawling, thinking he had dropped 'The Boy Who Lived'.

Depending on Dumbledore's level of paranoia, and that's pretty damn high, the old wizard could definitively tell the groundskeeper that Harry was still alive. Him figuring out

who had actually done it, however was low. Senile though Albus was, Harry severely doubted he could figure out that an older version of Harry had kidnapped a younger version of himself.

There are certain limits to insanity.

In any case, the Boys Who Lived [Harry briefly pondered duo names. BoysLived Squared? The Living Boys?] were going to pull a disappearing act. However, first, they needed a place to stay for the night. The Leaky Cauldron was out since everyone and their Aunt Gertrude was celebrating the Downfall of Voldemort. So a muggle establishment it would have to be.

Harry landed his broom in an alleyway occupied by one drunkard and headed to the front of a hotel. It wasn't anything fancy but nice enough. With a fake name and some cash he magicked from paper - Magical money was protected from being conjured but not Muggle money and Harry planned on being long gone by the time the charm ended - he managed to get a single queen-sized room.

"Rest until the morning, mini-me." Harry said with a grin as he laid the little one down for a nap and headed off for a shower.

* * *

Comforting Hagrid for losing the child was easy. Ignoring Minerva's glare about where he was going to send young Harry was also easy. Figuring out where Harry went was hard. Harder than it should be. 

No matter which spell he cast or what scrying he used, he could not find the child. The spells and scrying would go completely berserk and would ultimately fail. 

It was easy to comfort Hagrid because Harry wasn't dropped, he was taken. 

Now ensconced in his office, surrounded by his failed attempts, he wondered where the child could be. Was he taken by Death Eaters, bent on revenge? Maybe Sirius - but the wizard was already on his way to Azkaban. So now....

Now there was a third party to worry about. 

On the standard chessboard, there are only two opposing parties - White and Black. 

Now there are three. 

As usual, he will sit back and watch to see what emerges

and then make his move. 


	3. Chapter 3

 

Harry woke to the soft coos of Baby Harry. The toddler was sitting up, looking around the room and babbling at Harry. Scar aside, the infant looked and acted fine.

 

Harry smiled and pulled the toddler onto his chest, running his fingers through the thick hair. The baby patted at his face, a smile on his lips as he made noises over who this person is. Looks like Daddy but wasn’t daddy. Had pretty eyes like mummy but wasn’t mummy. Who was this?

 

“Harry” The baby looked at him at the sound of his name. Harry hesitated before getting into it. 

“Mummy and Daddy have gone bye bye. I am taking care of you now. I’m...Harrison”

 

“Muma bye bye?” Harry looked sad now and Harrison hoped that the baby would start crying. He knew he wouldn’t but Harry had parents yesterday and now they were gone. 

 

“Yeah but it’s okay. We will be fine and I am going to take care of you, promise.” Harrison pressed a kiss to Harry’s forehead, a little past the scar. 

 

“Paddy?”

 

“We’ll try to get him later. Maybe even Moony, too.” Harrison smiled as Harry buried his face in his chest.  

 

“Kay”

 

“Right. Let’s get breakfast.”

 

* * *

 

Voldemort reclined back on the bed as Tom slept in his lap. Reading through a few documents from Gringotts here and there, he consolidated his accounts and not a moment too soon. 

 

Say what you will about his counterpart in this time - a great fool indeed - he did one thing smart. He had a seperate vault for Voldemort and Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr. The Voldemort vault was for funding the war while the latter, was where he deposited the less sinister earnings like the job at Borgin and Burke’s. That particular vault has not been touched since the 50s or so. 

 

As Voldemort was sure that Dumbledore or even the Ministry would press the goblins to close the Voldemort account, he helped himself to the Tom Riddle account, taking it over and moving it to his name along with turning it into a family vault. He had a bit of money on him that he added to the account and created a trust account for Tom after declaring himself the head of the Riddle family. 

 

In his youth, he never would have done this but it seemed opportune to do so now. 

 

Voldemort couldn’t help but feel that he was settling. A child, a vault, plans for the future. What happened to the great conqueror and overlord of the wizarding world?

 

He grew bored. 

 

And he looked at things logically. 

 

He could bring Tom back to his time and raise him as his son but if he was honest with himself, even with an idyllic childhood, Tom would still try to usurp him.

 

Raising Tom in the 40s were absolutely not an option, even if he moved them to America. 

 

No this was the best, although he spared a thought to Severus’ time. 

 

This time has plenty of things that a lad could use for the family tradition - newly started - of world domination. 

 

A world in shambles. An aging light lord. A boy maytr. A dark lord with a scattered soul. 

 

Yes this will do just fine. 

 

Tom snuffled against Voldemort’s legs and slowly woke up. A year in the 80s and Tom was doing quite well - sitting up, babbling (with occasional outbursts of parseltongue which were still just random hissing. All babies babble indeed), and putting on a proper amount of weight that Voldemort figured he didn’t have at that age in the orphanage. 

 

Big dark blue eyes looked into his red ones. Tom sucked on his fingers, looking up at the big man that took care of him. He wasn’t Dada but he could hiss too. The man wasn’t mean and fed him. He didn’t hold Tom much and disliked noise. Maybe he will take Tom to mama one day?

 

“Come, Tom, let’s have breakfast.”

 

* * *

 

There was nothing quite like going down for breakfast lovingly provided by the hotel - 

 

And coming face to er...chest with your nemesis. Your suddenly very handsome nemesis. Your suddenly very handsome nemesis who was holding a baby version of himself which was currently gazing curiously at the baby version of yourself who was drooling on a bagel. 

 

He always had the worst luck. 

 

“Potter. I thought you would be shipped off to your relatives by now.” The older Voldemort drawled, shifting his hold on the infant in his arms. Baby Tom Riddle was starting to look envious of Baby Harry’s bagel/chew toy. 

 

“I thought you would be a pile of ashes and a mean spirit possessing someone by now,” Harrison retorted, holding out an extra bagel to baby Tom, who snatched it and began happily gumming the tough bread. 

 

“This is the point where I should say great minds think alike but that would be quite disingenuous of me. What are you doing here, Potter?” Voldemort asked. 

 

“Same as you. Bad timing and a nice muggle hotel stop,” Harrison sighed, maneuvering through the dining room. He could sense Voldemort following him, oddly dark blue eyes pinned to his back. When he reached the table that the wait staff had set up with high chairs for the babies, and a tea service, he sat Harry in a chair and started making a cup of tea. His nerves were in the need of soothing. 

 

“Unless you are far older than you look, you can not have me believe that you were able to figure out the mystery of time travel on your own and managed to make it here and kidnap yourself.” Voldemort said dryly, taking the service and preparing his own cup.

 

“Well things got weird. Why are you here? You look a lot less moldy than the Voldy I just slain in my own timeline.” 

 

There was a lull in which both adults gathered their thoughts and their orders were put out. The waiter gave them cups that can seal for the babies and a pitcher of orange juice. Harrison was quietly amused that the waiter didn’t say it was a sippy cup. After the waiter left, Harrison flicked up a muffling spell, to the delight of both toddlers. 

 

“Well in my timeline, I am ruler of Great Britain. And it got boring.” Voldemort, gleefully ignoring the way Harrison almost dropped Harry’s juice. Fumbling it a bit more, Harrison passed it over to Harry and set up one for Tom as well to pacify both toddlers. 

 

“I have seen you insane, seeing you bored is a scary thing.” Harrison sighed. “But if you are ruling like you want, what does it matter that you are raising Tom and why in this time?”

 

“I imagine it’s much the same to you: my childhood was less than ideal and I intend to rectify that.” Voldemort took a sip of tea before continuing. “Although from my intelligence and going off of my own timeline, you had a good childhood.”

 

“Your timeline must be very different from mind.” Bracing himself, Harrison decided to ask. “Did you make horcruxes?”

 

Voldemort stared at him for a few beats, eyebrow raised. With a snort, he replied. 

 

“One. You would never be able to find it and I didn’t make it not too long before I came here. What do you know of horcruxes, that seems quite dark for you, Potter.”

 

Harrison decided to be forthcoming. This Voldemort was different.

 

“In...in this timeline and mine, that Voldemort made seven horcruxes, including one lodged in Harry’s scar.” Harrison paused at Voldemort’s intrigued look and continued on. “I was able to remove mine but the process was so crazy, I don’t want to use that on little Harry.”

 

“How did that affect you? I never heard of a human horcrux.” Harrison tried to suss out if that was the beginning of obsession or academic curiosity he heard in Voldemort’s voice, but he was unable to tell. Fuck it, in for a penny…

 

//”I can speak parseltongue”//

 

The babies perked up, looking at Harrison with interest. Tom hissed back at him but it was nothing but babbling. Harry looked at Tom then Harrison and tried to copy Tom. Tom noticed his efforts and starting hissing at the other baby. And like that, they were on like a house on fire. 

 

“How interesting.” Voldemort smiled, a subtle showing of teeth.

 

Harrison felt like he just fell into a trap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow for a long time I didn't know where the plot was going and the comments didn't help much either. Thank fuck for boring classes.


	4. Chapter 4

After getting the babies to stop hissing, breakfast arrived and Harrison catching Voldemort staring at him far too closely, a swish of a wand and their conversation continued.

 

“I am finding myself both impressed and dismayed by the doings of this version of me. On one hand, he has gone farther than most in terms of soul magic and blood rituals. But on the other, the complete idiot lost his mind and is no more than a rabid dog that should be put down.” Voldemort sighed, cutting another piece of his omelette after Harrison gave an abridged version of his timeline. 

 

“What do you think the split between you and him happened?” Harrison, subtly for him, looked over Voldemort. The wizard had admitted to having one horcrux and his current good looks weren’t the result of a glamour. 

 

“The most obvious is the lack of multiple horcruxes. Also I wasn’t violent in my takeover - merely working my way up from my first job at Borgin and Burke’s to the ministry as a pencil pusher all the way up to be undersecretary and eventually elected as minister. I enacted laws that were fair with underpinnings that kept me as Minister for life and eventual supreme ruler. Dumbledore was discredited and died disgraced and alone.” Voldemort explained, taking a sip of his tea while Harrison gaped at him. Not unattractively but still a bit uncouth. 

 

“Bloody hell,” Harrison said softly, catching Harry’s hand before the toddler knocked his sippy cup to the ground. He gave up and just picked Harry up and sat him on his lap, feeding the squirming child bits of his french toast. 

 

“Indeed. I made a utopia and I forgot that I was born and raised in the midst of war. Sitting idle amoung the sheep does not suit me. I look at you and see much of the same.” 

 

“I am not like you at all.” Harrison said quietly with tension. There was a lull, the babies looking at both adults, Harry with concern and Tom with curiosity. 

 

“Of course you are not. But you too grew up during war - a child soldier in fact. Soldiers will always be soldiers in and out of war.” Voldemort said easily. Harry reached up, trying to pat Harrison’s cheek. Harrison resisted for a moment before turning Harry around and standing the boy up so he can do so without strain. Harry made concerned noises, babbling softly at Harrison and reminding the wizard strongly of Teddy. 

 

The boy, his godson, might not even be born in this timeline. His funny little godson gone. 

 

The thought depressed him but morbidly, he rather Teddy not exist at all than to go on as an orphan with an now absent godfather. 

 

Taking a deep breath, Harrison centered himself and got to work. 

 

“What are we going to do about Voldemort in this time? I don’t want him coming after the babies now or even when they are older.” Harrison said, turning Harry around to sit in his lap properly and pushing his plate away so the baby won’t play in it.

 

“I can take care of him easily. The bigger question is Dumbledore. He won’t let go of his pawn so easily and although I was able to discredit him in my time, I am not sure if the same blackmail applies in this one.” Voldemort said easily.

 

“I have some dirt on him too but it is buried and I need to connect with certain people for it to work, some of whom won’t talk to me until after the war is won.” Harrison sighed, picking absently at his food. It had gone all soggy now and completely unappealing to anyone who wasn’t Harry. 

 

“I see the conundrum but I do have a suggestion.” 

 

“What?”

 

“Marry me.”

 

It was worth waiting for Harrison to be slightly distraction - his reaction was spectacular. He almost dropped Harry and in trying to catch the now giggling toddler, he almost fell out of his chair, upset the water glass and completely dropped the hotel provided sippy cup. 

 

“You mad mad mad….lad.” Harrison finished off with a sigh. He subtly summoned the cup back, much to Harry’s delight. 

 

“I don’t see the issue. Children benefit most from a two parent household.” Voldemort spoke like he was reading off a statistic. The bastard. 

 

“Neither of us has reaped the benefits of that.” Harrison sighed. “I really don’t want to leave an impressionable child with you. Who knows you have taught Tom already.”

 

Voldemort grinned. “All the more reason to come along, to keep me in check.” 

 

“But why marriage? Can’t we just be, I don’t know, roommates? I’m not even gay!” Harrison groused. 

 

“Eventually Dumbledore and the ministry will find that you have the famous Harry Potter in your house and will want to know all that they can about you. Government always wants to give an orphan to a nice married couple over the single man or woman.”

 

Harrison grimaced. “I wouldn’t use nice to refer to you in any context at all.” 

 

“It will be a marriage in name only. We don’t have to sleep together although, I warn you that I will not be tolerant of any...indiscretions…” Voldemort’s eyes narrowed at Harrison. Harrison glared right back. 

 

“I don’t cheat on people, fake marriage or not. You make sure you do the same.” 

 

“So we are in agreement?” Voldemort’s face softened once more. 

 

Harrison sighed. 

 

“Yes.”

 

* * *

 

After paying the bill for breakfast and a trip upstairs, the new ‘family’ was ensconced in Harrison’s room, Voldemort heading downstairs to early check out his room and combining with Harrison’s instead. Harrison conjured a play pen and set the babies in it, watching for a moment as they interacted - babbling and giggling together, Harry more easy to do so with Tom eventually joining in. 

 

“How cute.” Came a voice behind him and in a flash, Harrison had pivoted and had his wand to the neck of the smirking berk who had snuck up on him, Voldemort. The babies babbled at the man, heedless of the tension emanating from Harrison, in greeting before going back to baby talking at each other. 

 

“Do not sneak up on me.” Harrison gritted out. Voldemort raised an amused eyebrow. 

 

“Have you considered becoming a Auror? You have the instincts of one.”

 

“I had considered it but really I don’t want to get involved with the ministry more than I have to.” Harrison sighed, resheathing his wand and stepping away to sit on the bed. The bed. Singular bed. 

 

Shit. 

 

Their room didn’t upgrade so there is just one bed. He completely fucked himself over and judging by the burgeoning grin on Voldemort’s face, he realized it too or long realized it and is infinitely amused at Harrison’s reaction. 

 

“I appreciate your foresight. I will, more than likely, look to more scholarly pursuits. I am not interested in becoming an unspeakable no more than you are interested in the ministry. There are a few textbooks I have been considering releasing.”

 

“What, Dark Arts for Dummies? I don’t any publisher would touch that.” Harrison snarked. 

 

“Self publishing is an option but no, I was thinking on more basic defense texts, some history and esoteric texts that push magic a bit more. Perhaps a bit illegal but only because it is new information that the Ministry has yet to authorize it but that’s fine- it can still be sold in other countries.” Voldemort replied easily, sitting down at the side desk fairly far from Harrison but cloe enough to the babies. 

 

“Despite your previous want to be the DADA professor, I am surprised your textbook ideas aren’t more political,” Harry pointed out. 

 

“Politics was not my main MO regardless, change and revolution is.” Voldemort replied before continuing, “ and the best way to change things is to enlist that of the next generation for no matter how long wizards may live, the next generation are the ones who breaks down and upholds a system. Why else do purebloods indoctrinate their children so heavily and honestly, give it a few more years if not two generations from now, newmaj will take over the system as the purebloods breed themselves out.” 

 

“Newmaj? You mean muggleborns?” Harrison looked at Voldemort, curious. 

 

:Mudblood is rude, muggleborn is inaccurate, newmaj  or new magic is the compromise since in essence, muggleborns are introducing refreshed magic back into the gene pool. Remind me to get you a copy of the Muggleborn Myth.” Voldemort drawled, resting his chin on his fist. 

 

“I guess we will talk about this later. I do like the name newmaj.” Harrison smiled slightly. 

 

“I figured you would. Speaking of you, what do you intend to do?” 

 

“Pardon?”

 

“What occupation you wish to have as you have rejected working for the aurors.” Voldemort raised an eyebrow but then smirked. “You would make quite the lovely househusband. Frilly apron and all.”

 

“Sh-shut up! I am not going to be a househusband!” Harrison flushed bright red, making the babies giggle at his sudden change of color.

 

“Shame. I am guessing the problem is you can’t cook?”

 

“I can cook and clean just fine. I just don’t want to be stuck in the house all day! And what about you? You said you were going to stay in and write!” Harrison flustered. 

 

“That still requires me to leave the house to do research and it does bring money into the household. We can’t just live off of Harry’s money. I may have conned some from Voldemort’s vault but that will not last forever.” 

 

Calming down, Harrison said, “Did you walk up to the goblins and declare you are Voldemort?”

 

“No. I did show by blood we are ‘related’ but on paper, I am Thomas Pervell, Voldemort’s third cousin through this mother’s side. I managed to get access to his ‘Tom Riddle’ vault since it is not tied to the war. The ministry is probably seizing the latter as we speak.”

 

“So I can call you Thomas?” Harrison tested out the name. It was like his own moniker - similar enough but not exactly it. 

 

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this up and if you haven't noticed, I have posted how many chapters will be in this story. It's fairly short and won't cover more than Tom and Harry's first year or so of hogwarts. I have the rest plotted out but feel free to toss out scenes featuring the babies or when they are older kids.


End file.
